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Level B2 required at the end of high school in France. But what is a B2 level?
In February 2018, on the EDHEC campus in Croix (France), French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe unveiled his action plan for foreign trade. One of the three components of this plan focuses on language learning, particularly English.
In concrete terms, the state will finance, for each student, an English certification recognised worldwide like theTOEIC®orTOEFL®tests,the objective being that each high school student reaches a B2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). As a reminder, level B2 is already the targeted level for the Baccalauréat test (high school exit exam in France). But what is a B2 level on the CEFR, and what does it correspond to?
The CEFR, the what?!
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages was set up by the Council of Europe in 2001, after several years of linguistic research. It constitutes a new approach whose main objective is to provide a common basis for the design of educational programmes, diplomas and certificates. The CEFR is divided into three general levels: the basic user (level A), the independent user (level B) and the proficient user (level C). Above all, this European framework provides a solid and objective basis for the recognition of language qualifications.
Each level is composed of five domains to be validated: written and oral comprehension, written and oral expression as well as continuous speaking (speaking alone on a given subject). In each European country, modern language learning is now based on these criteria and language level certifications use this scale to translate their scores into comparable levels that can be understood by all. ETS has produced numerous research works and studies related to the CEFR levels and in particular thecorrelation studies between the TOEIC tests and the CEFR levels.
Each level A, B or C is then subdivided into two levels 1 and 2. For level B (independent user), level B1 corresponds to the 'threshold level' which means that the user can understand the essential points of a clear and familiar language. It is considered that a B1 user can do well during a trip and can produce a simple and coherent speech. Basically, it's the beginning of autonomy!
